Its the correct decision, but I'm surprised that the panel have confirmed the 2 original officials to be idiots.
The two original officials made the right decision - play on, no foul. It's Big Brother rerefereeing the game from a telly screen who called it wrong. Dragged in front of his own screen in front of the watching world the onfield ref has been chucked under a bus.
Sorry I badly worded that. The officials I meant were the VAR ref and then the onfield ref who then agreed with him, failing to stand by his own decision.
They need to stop only viewing it in slow motion. It’s impossible to see the impact of two legs coming into contact in slow motion, unless one of the legs snaps in half. They should just rewatch at normal speed. In any case, how can you say the ref made a clear and obvious error if you are comparing his eyes watching something at normal speed with a multi angle slow motion compilation?! And I’ve said it countless times before, but feigning injury or fouls should carry the same punishment as the foul would have. At the moment, a player diving over the last defender will get a yellow if the ref spots the dive. But if the ref buys it the opposition go down to 10 men, lose the defender for up to 3 games and the diving team get a penalty. Hardly comparable, so you can see why the likes of Jamie Vardy have practised and practised how to dive (the old stick a leg out, get touched and fall over trick). The commentators and ‘experts’ don’t help with all the “there was contact” ********, whereby if the leg you stuck out gets brushed you are within your rights to fall down and win a foul.
The match referee's are the problem. VAR official can flag it up. The referee on the field can overrule them. That referee from Palace v Everton deserves all stick he gets. He's got no bo l locks. Maybe other referee's will see him being thrown under proverbial bus and grow a pair themselves.
I still find it hard to blame the onfield ref. Do you know how many times this season a ref has stuck by his original decision after being called to the screen? One. And that one was later declared an error by an independent panel, who said the VAR was right. The refs are in an impossible position, they are effectively being told by their peers and colleagues that theyve made a wrong decision and then shown the incident multiple times in slow motion from angles they couldn't possibly have seen. Small wonder they go along with the whole farcical process. VAR as its currently being used will kill the game. There's nothing clear and obvious about showing a ref an incident at snail's pace from an angle impossible for him to have seen.
Still think the ref from the other night brought it on himself. Even in slow motion it wasn't even a foul.
It's not that simple. Put yourself in the refs position. You're on the pitch and think you've seen something or think you haven't seen something, or maybe one of your linesmen tell you they've seen something. Fair enough right? Well what about if one of your colleagues with the same training and qualifications as you says Stephen mate, FOUR of us have just checked 35 camera angles and you've got this one wrong. Come over and have a look for yourself. As you walk over to that screen you must be doubting yourself. After all, four of your colleagues have just agreed that you're wrong. You look at the TV and you still think you're right but FOUR qualified refs are all telling you you're wrong. It's VERY hard to stick to your guns when four experts are all telling you that you're wrong. Imagine the outcry if you refuse to listen to them all and go with your own opinion. You'd never referee again if you actually were wrong. It's not right to blame the ref or really to blame the var refs. It's the system that's wrong. Absolutely no need for a qualified ref to be in the car room sticking their beak in and definitely no need for four of them to be there. Var should be massively simplified. Nothing is reviewed unless the captain or manager (either or, I don't care) requests a review. They get 2 reviews per game which work similar to tennis. Ask for a review that fails and you lose a chance, ask for one that is overturned and you keep that review to use again . In the Var room are 7, yes 7, video technicians whos job is solely to find and play the moment on the video screen. When a team requests a review the ref tells the VAR room what incident they want to look at and the 7 people in the room get to it looking through all the camera angles and preparing them. The ref goes to the screen and they show him the relevant section of the recording. They don't offer any opinion at all, their sole job is to show the footage. Simple as that. The ref makes the decision on his own, no interference, no undermining, and no blaming anyone else. I think it would be a massive improvement on what we have now and honestly don't understand why it's something that isn't talked about as an option more often
It's actually what's happened to the ref that's annoyed me more than owt else. He came to the right decision. Went to VAR and overturned his decision in sending Calvert Lewin off. Then Everton appeal and he's in the wrong. It was clearly a bad decision at the time. Maybe it's the wrong case to judge. There has to be some level of accountability though.
